YouTube's Best Sport Videos of the Week - Sept 1st to Sept 7th

Here are some of the best (and worst) sports videos that were posted to the net this week.

• Big Papi gives Sean Casey his top 5 movie picks. For more Big Papi videos click here.

• Insert your own Tiger-is-a-god joke.

• Mark Prior's (aka Calfzilla) calf muscles....well not really.

• A crazy play at the plate in the minor leagues. That poor catcher.

• Ahhh hockey. How we've missed you. The NHL season is about a month away. For now, we'll have to settle for some KHL action. No sign of Radulov.

• The new NBA franchise now has a logo and name ... the mighty Oklahoma City Thunder. Royalties from AC/DC's 'Thunderstruck' just went up.

• Are you ready for some football? We hope so, because the NFL is back. The Giants are now 2-0 in their last two NFL games.

• Arland Bruce of the Toronto Argonauts gets a penalty for wearing a Spiderman mask after scoring a touchdown. We don't make this stuff up people.

• How embarrassing would it be for Lebron James to lose a game of H-O-R-S-E to a warehouse worker? This embarrasing.

• And now for the Waikiki Hockey Clip O' The Week. When you have little toy hockey players and too much time on your hands this clip is bound to be made eventually. Click here for Part 1 and here's Part 2:

< Last Week <> Next Week >

Everybody Loves Big Papi...

On one of our many research trips through the YouTube jungle we found a clip of David Oritz on Live!...with Regis and Kelly. It's amazing. Put Big Papi next to two dolts like Kelly and whoever the Regis filler is and Ortiz looks even cooler. Love the look on his face around 4:30 when he's talking about how crazy Jon Papelbon is. No idea why Ortiz thinks that:

Not too many athletes like Ortiz out there...in any sport. It's hard to believe that in 2002, after hitting 20 HR in 400 AB's, the Twins gave up on him and tried to trade him. Nobody wanted him, so the Twins released him. He was almost forced to find a job in Mexico or Japan but the Red Sox signed him and he went on to hit 31, 41, 47, and 54 home runs over the next four year. Not a bad pick up.

“He appeals to every demographic,” Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein
says. “People love watching athletes who you can tell enjoy what they’re doing.
And to have a guy who comes to work every day with a smile—that’s especially
huge in our clubhouse, where we had problems in the past.” (Sports Illustrated)

Everybody love Big Papi. It's really surprising he isn't better marketed by the MLB and sponsors. At least we've got:
- A classic SportsCenter promo featuring Jorge Posada and Ortiz
- A New Era ad that doesn't actually include Ortiz but is still pretty decent
- A newish commercial featuring Ortiz and Brian Urlacher playing badminton

On the personal side of things he's got a sweet ride and he likes to cook...appartently in a Yankee Haters Hat.

But our favourite obscure Ortiz clip is of the big guy playing golf with "Neon" Deion Sanders. Seriously.

Wiffle Ball Legend...

David Mullany's son wanted to be able to throw a curve ball. But he was too young. He didn't have enough room to play real ball in the yard anyway. In 1953, David created a plastic ball with eight ovals on one side that increased resistance and allowed his son to throw the big hook in his small backyard.

The Wiffle Ball was born.

The ball was very hard to hit due to the massive curve action it generated so it was named Wiffle after the slang word for a big strike "wiff".

The game has it's own field, rules and scoring and has become a big part of growing up in America for many kids.

Growing up I wasn't into Wiffle Ball very much. I think I had one at some point and I remember enjoying it but it couldn't compete with my road hockey. We did have a Wiffle Ball tourney when I was in Grade 9 at school but the big kids wouldn't let me pitch. If I had been able to pitch and was able to use the Wiffle to throw a sinker, riser or especially the knuckleball (below) things may have been different.


I know I'm too old for a Wiffle Ball now and I know I would probably look as pathetic as these guys but I'm going to get me a Wiffle Ball again. If it's good enough for Big Papi, it's good enough for me.